My new, old boat has a Hood Stowaway and I have a question about the locations of the unit's control unit and the winch for the outhaul. On my boat, these are on opposite sides of the cockpit. Since you need to use both of these at the same time, it seems logical that they should be together. There is another Bristol in the marina and his are both on port side and the owner says it works well like that.

I think I need to move one or the other, but am i missing a good reason for them to be separated?

both the outhaul winch and control unit are on the starboard side of my boat with the winch mounted approx. 6' forward of the control unit. keeping adequate tension on the outhaul is crucial because the sail can unroll itself inside the mast and bunch up if not kept taut. if you plan on always having someone with you as crew this might not be a big deal but if you want to have the ability to unfurl the sail yourself, i think both should be on the same side. this will also help while furling the sail to make sure you get even, snug wraps.

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